Clothes-pin.



No. 716,961. Patented Dec. 30, i902. J. w. TlLLMAN. V i

GLDTHES PIN.

(Application filed May 23, 1902.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN lV. TILLMAN, OF GIBSON, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO O. M.FLY, OF GIBSON, TENNESSEE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 716,961, dated December30, 1902.

Application tiled May 23,1902., Serial No. 108,687. (No model.)

To /LZ whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, JOHN W. TILLMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Gibson, in the county of Gibson and State of Tennessee, haveinvented a new and useful Clothes-Pin, of which the following is aspeciication.

This invention relates to clothes-pins, and has for its object toprovide an improved wire clothes-pin which is arranged for convenientapplication to any ordinary clothesline and adapted to remainpermanently upon the line and capable of adjustment. thereon to anydesired position.

It is furthermore designed to form the pin from asingle length of wire,so as to produce a strong, durable, and inexpensive article which iscomplete in itself and has all of its parts connected and spaced so asto be maintained in their proper relations forconvenient manipulation tofasten and-release the articles from the line.

Vith these and other objects in view the present invention consists inthe combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter morefully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularlypointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes inthe form, proportion,

size, and minor details may be made within.

the scope of the claims withou t departing from the spirit orsacrificing any of the advantages of the invention. l

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view ofa clothes-pinconstructed and arranged in accordance with the present invention. Fig.2 is a plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is a side elevation. Fig. 4 is an endelevation, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the pin in operativeposition upon a clothes-line.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in all of thefigures of the drawings.

The present form of clothes-pin is made from a single length of heavygalvanized springwire,which is twisted at its middle into springcoils l,preferably three in number, the opposite end portions of the wire being`projected in opposite directions from the opposite upstanding edges ofthe coil, so as to form substantially parallel arms 2, which areprovided at their outer ends with clamps for engagement with theclothes-line to fasten the articles thereto. is bent transversely inwardand across the spring-coils, as at 3, thence bent upwardly anddownwardly across the inner side of the arm to form an upstanding loop4, after which the wire is bent alternately upwardly and downwardly toform two pendent loops 5 and 6, with an intermediate upstanding loop 7,the terminal of the wire being bent into a small loop or eye S, so as toavoid a sharp projection. It will be understood that the transverseloops 5, 6, and 7 are disposed substantially in the same plane whichextends transversely of the longitudinal axis of the pin, and thependent loops 5 and 6 form the spring-jaws or members of a springclamp,while the part 3 forms a brace to lprevent undue separation or spreadingof the springclamp members, and thereby maintains the desiredresiliencyin these members. This brace is a very importantfeature of thepresent invention, as otherwise the spring members 5 and G would becomevery much weakened by the successive engagements and disengagements ofthe clamp with a line, and after a comparatively short time the pinwould become absolutely useless.

When the pin is on a clothes-line, which has been indicated at 9 in Fig.5 of the drawings, it will be seen that the line passes between thespring members 5 and 6 of the opposite clamps and also through the coill at the center of the pin, the latter having been fitted to the lineover one end thereof prior to the fastening of said end of the line.

In operating the device an article l0 is folded over the line, and thenthe adjacent clamp is applied, so that the spring members 5 and 6straddle the article and the line, after which the clamp is forceddownwardly until stopped by the combined brace and stop 3 engaging thetop of the line, whereby the article will be firmly clamped upon theline. It will of course be understood that the adjacent article isfastened in the same manner by the other clamp, and when two articlesare thus fastened by a single pin the latter is fastened rigidly uponthe line and is held against endwise movement thereon, whereby it isimpos- The outer end portion of each arm`y ICO sible for the articlessuspended upon the line to slip down to the loWermost sagged portionthereof7 and neither can the wind slide the articles upon ltheclothes-line.

Although the pin has been shown with the members 5 and 6 straddling theclothes-line, it Will of course be understood that the pin may beinverted with either of the members 7 and 4 or 7 and 8 straddling theline in precisely the same manner as hereinloefore described for themembers 5 and 6, Wherefore it is not necessary to have the pin assumeonly one position for engagement With the line. In either application ofthe pin the wire portion 3 forms a brace to prevent undue separation ofthe clamp members and to return the same to their normal positions whenthe pin is removed from the line and, furthermore, forms stops forengagement with the line to limit the lateral movement of the clampswhen fitting the same to a line and also to stop the clamps at the mosteffective binding-points thereof.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the present devicecomprises a central loop made up of spring-coils, preferably three innumber, so as to prevent accidental displacement of the pin from theline, and. opposite terminal clamps, Whichare disposed transversely withrespect to the longitudinal axis of the pin and made up of springmembers or jaWs which are adapted to straddle a line and arms connectingthe clamps to the central loop, whereby all of the parts of the pin areconnected and maintained in their proper relations, so as to facilitatethe application and removal of the pin and to insure the proper grippingof the line.

What I claim is- 1. A clothes-pin, comprising a central loop having armsprojected in opposite directions therefrom, the outer end of each armbeing directed transversely across the adjacent end of the loop and thenbent into spring-loops which lie in substantially the same V planeacross the arm and form the members of a spring-clamp, the arm extendingacross an intermediate portion of the clamp and forming a combined braceand stop.

2. Aclothes-pin,formed fromasinglelength of wire which isbentintermediate of its ends into a loop made up of a plurality ofcoils, the end portions of the wire being projected in oppositedirections from the loop and at substantially right angles to the planethereof to form arms, the outer end of each arm being bent transverselyacross the adjacent end ofthe loop and then bent into elongated springloops lying in substantially the same plane across the inner side of thearm, with the freel end of the Wire bent into a comparatively small loopor eye.

3. A clothesepimformed from a single length of wire which is bentintermediate of its ends into a loop made up of a plurality of coils,the end portions of the wire being projected in opposite directions fromthe loop to form horizontal arms, the outer end of each arm being benttransversely across the adjacent end of the loop, and then bent intoelongated spring-loops lying in substantially the same plane across theinner side of the arm, said loops forming the spring jaws or members ofa spring-cla mp, which may be engaged with the line at either the top orbottom.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN W. TILLMAN.

Witnesses:

JOHN H. SIGGnRs, FLORENCE E. WALTER.

